Hitachi CP-X445 – Overview

February 12, 2005 - Art Feierman

Hitachi CP-X445 - General Performance

Menu features and Layout

The Hitachi Menu’s are well laid out, and easy to comprehend. You can work the basics from the Easy Menu, or switch to the Advanced menu system for greater control. Among the many controls and features, you have the ability to save settings, and also to create a startup logo – to flash your company name or the name of a presentation, before you actually start.

There is a keystone control menu, which gives separate control of vertical and horizontal keytone adjustments. The input menu handles source selection and provides information on the sources.

Other menus, allow for orientation (screen menu) for ceiling mounting, normal front positioning and rear projections. The network menu allows configuring aspects of communicating and control from computers on the same network.

The Remote Control

This Hitachi projector’s remote control is fairly typical. In addition to the usual features, including a disk pad for remote mousing, arrow keys for menu navigation, there is a built in laser pointer, a blank button that instantly blanks out the screen, when you want to be speaking without a distracting image on the screen.

There is also a zoom in feature, ideal for magnifying a small area of the screen, in order to display smaller type (such as a section of a spreadhseet) to a spread out audience, so they can read the details.

You can also hold a single image on the screen using the freeze button.

There is a Video button which allows you to switch between the various video inputs, and an RGB (data) button for toggling between the two analog computer inputs and the DVI input. A keystone button gives direct access to keystone adjustments. There is also an aspect ratio to support changing between standard 4:3 to 16:9 or 5:4 (for SXGA).

All in all, no real surprises, and the buttons are fairly well organized, although it would be helpful if some of the more commonly used buttons were backlit.

Networking

This Hitachi will interface to a computer for direct command to control – you can adjust menu items like brightness, selecting sources, etc. You can also remotely monitor the projector for lamp life, and for malfunctions.